JP2001101357A - Ic card identifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for satisfactorily identifying an IC card without using magnetism. SOLUTION: A light emitting element 101 and a light receiving element 102 are arranged on a carrying path 103, and the element 101 emits light having a wavelength within the range from near infrared rays to infrared rays (from 750 nm to 1500 nm). An IC card 104 is carried through a carrying path 103, and the IC part 105 of the card 104 has a gold terminal. The reflectance of light from the element 101 is raised at the gold part, and the output level of the element 102 at the gold part is different from that at the other part. A control part 106 discriminates the IC card or not from the output level of the element 102.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for identifying diversified cards, and more particularly to an apparatus for identifying IC cards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an MR (magnetic resistance) is used to identify an IC card conveyed in a conveying path.
One using a sensor is known. In this method, a magnetic field is generated in an area where a card is conveyed, and a magnetic reaction from the card is detected by an MR sensor. The IC card has an IC part, and the MR sensor detects a metal part of the IC part while the IC card is being transported, thereby determining that the IC card is an IC card.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional device for identifying an IC card by using an MR sensor, the MR sensor uses a PET (polyethylene terephthalat).
The so-called PET card made of e) is also detected in the same manner as the IC part of the IC card.
The C card cannot be distinguished, and the IC card cannot be identified.
Further, when a card having a magnetically written column on the surface thereof is conveyed, there is a problem that a bias magnetic field required for the MR sensor may affect this column.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided an IC card identification device for identifying whether a card conveyed along a conveyance path is an IC card, the apparatus being disposed on the conveyance path. A reflection sensor unit that emits light having a wavelength in the range of near-infrared light to infrared light toward the card and receives the reflected light, and a determination unit that determines the IC card by detecting the output level of the reflection sensor unit in two stages. Is provided. According to this configuration, the IC card has an IC unit,
Since the IC section has gold terminals, the reflectance of light from the light emitting element of the reflection sensor section is higher in the gold section, and the output level of the light receiving element is different between the gold section and the non-gold section. The determination unit determines whether the IC card is an IC card based on different output levels.

[0005] Another configuration of the present invention is provided on a transport path,
It is provided with an LC resonance circuit that obtains an LC resonance output when a metal part is detected, and a determination unit that determines an IC card based on the LC resonance output. According to this configuration, when the IC section of the IC card approaches the LC resonance circuit, an LC resonance output is obtained from the LC resonance circuit. The determination unit determines that the IC card is an IC card by obtaining the LC resonance output signal.

[0006] Still another configuration of the present invention is an image acquisition means for acquiring an image of a card over the entire width of a transport path, and a discrimination for discriminating an IC card by processing the image acquired by the image acquisition means. Section. According to this configuration, since the entire image in the width direction of the card is different between the IC card and the other card, the IC card can be identified by processing the entire image in the width direction of the card acquired by the image acquisition means by the determination unit. .

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a light emitting element 101 and a light receiving element 102 are provided on a transport path 103. The light emitting element 101 and the light receiving element 102 constitute a reflection sensor. Light emitted from the light emitting element 101 is reflected by a card conveyed in the conveying path 103, and the reflected light is reflected by the light receiving element 102.
, And is received. Here, the light emitting element 101
The light emitted from near infrared to infrared (750 nm
This is light having a wavelength within the range of about 1500 nm. The transport path 103 is configured to transport an IC card 104, and the IC card 104 is provided with an IC unit 105. The IC card 104 is transported by a roller or a belt (not shown). The IC section 105 has gold terminals.

A control unit (CPU) 106 includes a light emitting circuit 107
Is connected to the light emitting element 101 via the light emitting element 101 to cause the light emitting element 101 to emit light. The light receiving element 102 is connected to a control unit 106 via a light receiving circuit 108 and an A / D converter 109. The optical signal received by the light receiving element 102 is A / D
The signal is converted into a digital signal by the converter 109 and processed by the control unit 106.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 2 is a time chart showing the operation of the first embodiment. 1 and 2, when the IC card 104 is transported in the transport path 103 and reaches the detection points of the light emitting element 101 and the light receiving element 102, the light emitted from the light emitting element 101
The light is reflected by the four surfaces, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element 102, and an output of the level A shown in FIG. Subsequently, when the IC card 104 is conveyed and the IC section 105 reaches the detection points of the light emitting element 101 and the light receiving element 102, the output level of the light receiving element 102 is shown in FIG. It changes to level B.

[0010] Gold has a particularly strong reflection characteristic for light in the near-infrared to infrared region. The reflectance increases in the gold portion, and the output level of the light receiving element 102 changes. When an output of about level B is thus obtained, the control unit 106 determines that the conveyed card is an IC card.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
It emits light of near-infrared or infrared wavelengths and detects the gold terminal of the IC card using the fact that the reflectance of gold is higher than the reflectance of other substances, so it does not have a gold terminal It is possible to identify a PET card. Further, in the first embodiment, since magnetism is not used, even if a card to be conveyed has a field for writing characters by magnetism, this field is not affected.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the second embodiment. In FIG. 2, an LC resonance circuit 301 is provided above the transport path 103. LC resonance circuit 301 is A / D
It is connected to a control unit (CPU) 305 via a converter 306. The output of the LC resonance circuit 301 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 306,
5 is processed.

Next, the operation will be described. LC resonance circuit 301
Is set so that an LC resonance output can be obtained by detecting the metal IC portion 105 of the IC card 104. When the IC card 104 is transported through the transport path 103 and reaches the detection point of the LC resonance circuit 301, the IC unit 105
Thus, an LC resonance output as shown in FIG. 4 is obtained. This LC
The resonance output is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 306 and processed by the control unit 305, whereby the card being conveyed is determined to be the IC card 104. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the output of the LC resonance circuit 301.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the IC section is detected by using the LC resonance circuit that obtains the LC resonance output when the metal is detected. Therefore, another PET having no metal section is detected. Since the card can be distinguished from the card and no magnetism is used, even if the card to be conveyed has a column for magnetically writing characters, this column is not affected.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the third embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the third embodiment. 5 and 6, a light emitting element array 501 and a CCD sensor array 502 are provided on the transport path 103 on which the IC card 104 is transported. Light emitting elements 501a and C of light emitting element array 501
The light receiving elements 502a of the CD sensor array 502 are arranged over the entire width of the transport path 103 as shown in FIG. That is, the light emitting element array 501 and the CCD sensor array 502 constitute a reflection sensor capable of detecting the entire width of the transport path 103.

A control unit (CPU) 503 includes a light emitting circuit 504
Is connected to the light emitting element array 501 through the light emitting element, and causes the light emitting element array 501 to emit light. The CCD sensor array 502 is connected to a control unit 503 via a CCD sensor array driving circuit 505 and an A / D converter 506. C
An output signal of the CD sensor array 502 passes through a CCD sensor array driving circuit 505, is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 506, and is processed by a control unit 503 for image processing.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.
When the IC card 104 is transported in the transport path 103 and reaches the detection points of the light emitting element array 501 and the CCD sensor array 502, the light emitted from the light emitting element array
The light is reflected on the surface of the C card 104, and the reflected light is received by the CCD sensor array 502. CCD sensor array 50
The output signal of No. 2 passes through a CCD sensor array driving circuit 505, is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 506, and is subjected to image processing by a control unit 503.

On the surface of the IC card 104, the IC unit 1
05 and other parts have different reflectivity, so CC
By performing image processing on the output signal of the D sensor array 502, the IC unit 105 can be detected. That is, I
It can be determined whether or not the conveyed card is the IC card 104 based on whether or not the C section 105 is detected.

As another method in the present embodiment, pattern matching may be performed. This is because the reading pattern of the IC card 104 is stored in the control unit 503 in advance, the pattern of the conveyed card is read by the light emitting element array 501 and the CCD sensor array 502, and the read pattern and the storage pattern are read by the control unit 503. The comparison is used to determine whether or not the IC card 104 is used. IC section 105 if IC card 104
Is read as a pattern, the IC card 104 can be identified based on the presence or absence of the reading pattern of the IC unit 105.

Further, in the present embodiment, the discrimination may be made by combining the above-mentioned method using the reflectance with the pattern matching. In this case, an improvement in the discrimination accuracy can be expected.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the fourth embodiment. 7 and 8, a reflective CCD is provided on a transport path 103 on which an IC card 104 is transported.
A sensor 601 is provided. Reflective CCD sensor 6
A light emitting element 602 and a CCD sensor 603 are incorporated in 01, and are movably attached to a shaft 604 as shown in FIG. The reflection type CCD sensor 601 is moved over the entire width in the width direction of the transport path 103 by a motor and a belt (not shown).

A control unit (CPU) 605 includes a light emitting circuit 606
Is connected to the light emitting element 602 through the light emitting element, and causes the light emitting element 602 to emit light. The CCD sensor 603 is connected to a control unit 605 via a CCD sensor driving circuit 607 and an A / D converter 608. The output signal of the CCD sensor 603 passes through a CCD sensor drive circuit 607 and is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 608.
Image processing is performed in step S5.

Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment will be described.
When the reflection type CCD sensor 601 reciprocates in the width direction of the transport path 103 by a motor and a belt (not shown), and the IC card 104 is transported in the transport path 103 while detecting the inside of the transport path 103, Then, the reflective CCD sensor 601 starts detecting the entire IC card 104 while moving in the width direction, and the output signal is sent to the control unit 605. The control unit 605 performs image processing on an output signal from the reflection type CCD sensor 601 while obtaining position information of the reflection type CCD sensor 601.

On the surface of the IC card 104, the IC unit 1
Since the reflectance is different between 05 and other portions, the IC unit 105 can be detected by performing image processing on the output signal of the reflective CCD sensor 601. That is, I
It can be determined whether or not the conveyed card is the IC card 104 based on whether or not the C section 105 is detected. As another method of image processing, similar to the third embodiment, pattern matching may be performed, or determination may be made by combining a method using reflectance and pattern matching. . The reflective CCD sensor 6
A screw shaft may be used as a means for moving 01 in the width direction.

According to the third and fourth embodiments, the entire image in the width direction of the IC card 104 is obtained, and the IC card 104 is identified by processing the image. Since identification can be performed and magnetism is not used, there is an effect that even if a card to be conveyed has a column for magnetically writing characters, this column is not affected. Further, the fourth embodiment has an effect that the number of light emitting elements and light receiving elements can be reduced as compared with the third embodiment.

In the present invention, the above embodiments can be combined with each other. For example, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, or the fourth embodiment can be combined with the first embodiment. Further, the third embodiment or the fourth embodiment can be combined with the second embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the first, second, and third embodiments, or the first, second, and fourth embodiments. By performing such a combination, I
Accuracy of discriminating the C card can be improved.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, I
The IC card can be distinguished from other cards by detecting the metal part of the IC part of the C card, or by acquiring and processing the entire image in the width direction of the IC card. Further, since no magnet is used, there is an effect that even if a card to be conveyed has a column for magnetically writing characters, this column is not affected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a time chart showing the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing an output of the LC resonance circuit.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Light emitting element 102 Light receiving element 103 Transport path 104 IC card 105 IC section 106 Control section 301 LC resonance circuit 501 Light emitting element array 502 CCD sensor array 601 Reflection type CCD sensor

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeru Kamoda 1-7-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5B023 BA01 DA01 JA05 5B058 KA12 KA13

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An IC card identification device for identifying whether a card conveyed on a conveyance path is an IC card or not, wherein said IC card identification device is disposed on said conveyance path and directs light having a wavelength in a range from near infrared rays to infrared rays toward said card. An IC card identification device comprising: a reflection sensor unit that emits and receives the reflected light; and a determination unit that determines an IC card by detecting an output level of the reflection sensor unit in two stages. 2. An IC card identification device for identifying whether a card conveyed on a conveyance path is an IC card, wherein the LC resonance circuit is disposed on the conveyance path and obtains an LC resonance output when a metal part is detected. An IC card identification device comprising: a determination unit configured to determine an IC card based on an LC resonance output. 3. An IC card identification device for identifying whether a card conveyed along a conveyance path is an IC card, wherein: an image acquisition means for acquiring an image of the card over the entire width of the conveyance path; IC by processing the image acquired in
A determination unit for determining a card is provided.
C card identification device. 4. The IC card identification device according to claim 3, wherein said image acquisition means is a CCD sensor array disposed over the entire width of the transport path. 5. The image sensor according to claim 3, wherein the image acquisition unit is a CCD sensor movably provided over the entire width of the conveyance path.
The IC card identification device according to the above.